Experiences with Pattaya DCs

[donalbain]

For the classes, I ended up going with Wayne who's now at Seaduction. He is a great instructor and really made some things click for me. I still think James at real divers and Meg at aquanuts are both very good but Wayne was just good at pushing me a little harder. He's very knowledgeable about diving and is fun on the boat while still taking instruction seriously.

I found the Seaduction boat nice, but some of the days there were a lot of OW course dives which can limit where you dive. They had fishers on the boat a couple of days which I thought was fun but may not be for everyone.

I'm going to try the Adventure guys tomorrow.

 

[penguintom]

For the classes, I ended up going with Wayne who's now at Seaduction. He is a great instructor and really made some things click for me. I still think James at real divers and Meg at aquanuts are both very good but Wayne was just good at pushing me a little harder. He's very knowledgeable about diving and is fun on the boat while still taking instruction seriously.

I found the Seaduction boat nice, but some of the days there were a lot of OW course dives which can limit where you dive. They had fishers on the boat a couple of days which I thought was fun but may not be for everyone.

I'm going to try the Adventure guys tomorrow.

I would be most interested to hear how you get on with adventure divers, speaking to people around Pattaya they seem to be the only shop that I have heard any number of positive comments about.

 

[red_barbarian]

I was on the boat w/ Wayne last weekend. As I said in a previous post the shops club together on various boats. I have been in the water w/ Wayne and he would do a fine job at teaching, and providing fun dives at sites you might be interested in.

 

[donalbain]

I would be most interested to hear how you get on with adventure divers, speaking to people around Pattaya they seem to be the only shop that I have heard any number of positive comments about.

Adventure divers is in many ways more organized. Nicer boat and always seem to go out a little further. Food is definitely good (but not at aquanuts level) and they also provide small sandwiches on the way back. they also offer 3 dives a day although none of them are long dives (well, the 2nd dive of the day seems to usually be a wreck dive which is going to be limited by ndls anyway - yes, second is deeper, but 1 hour SI and shallow first dive of about 40 mins). I'm used to coming back with 40-50 bar and not 100 But, you do get 3 dives (for an extra 400 baht). Probably if you only do 2, they will make them longer??

I've dived with them a couple of times. They seem to always have at least one of the two instructors and one dive guide (a seemingly very competent thai rescue diver). Sometimes the instructor will do the wreck dive since the students would be resting. (and they have other companies diving on the boat). Somehow they are organized enough not to let doing discover and OW classes make any impact on fun dives; well at least it seemed that way.

I think it's excellent for pattaya, but at my level I might be slightly worried in adverse conditions without a dm although their dive guide may be better in the water than a dm, I don't know.

I'm only diving in Pattaya for training purposes, but would recommend them since you seem to always get 1 wreck and 2 reef dives.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

I lived and worked in the Pattaya dive industry (for one of the shops mentioned in these threads) for a number of years. Most of the dive operations like the diving seem to be ok but not stellar by any means. Most DM's and instructors are so under paid and over worked I can see how problems can manifest. Safety and services can be negligible as well. Its not that is soooo bad. Its just not great.





Absolutly love Thailand! Pattaya well..not so much

What can I say.... Pattaya jaded me.

I would dive elsewhere......but its just my opinion.

 

[lord khram]

I lived and worked in the Pattaya dive industry (for one of the shops mentioned in these threads) for a number of years. Most of the dive operations like the diving seem to be ok but not stellar by any means. Most DM's and instructors are so under paid and over worked I can see how problems can manifest. Safety and services can be negligible as well. Its not that is soooo bad. Its just not great.





Absolutly love Thailand! Pattaya well..not so much

What can I say.... Pattaya jaded me.

I would dive elsewhere......but its just my opinion.

On the whole I have to agree here and this is a big failing on the part of shop owners in my mind.
They want to sell IDC courses and then use these customers as paying labour to take care of day to day diving customers. Win win situation for the shop owners and as a result they dont employ any, or very minimal full time proffesional staff. All too often this results in disatisfied customers, as is borne out on a number of threads here.
In an area where compared to general thai standards, the diving conditions and marine life are poor, I feel the shop owners would do better to look after their day to day customers in a more satisfactory manner if they want happy customers and repeat business from them.
But as you have no doubt seen at least one such shop just resorts to making untrue and personall statements rather than actually taking on board the thoughts of their customers.

 

[red_barbarian]

You can request 2 wreck dives a day on the adventure divers boat. I have done this several times on their boat and have been accommodated.

 

[lord khram]

You can request 2 wreck dives a day on the adventure divers boat. I have done this several times on their boat and have been accommodated.

Yes I have heard a number of good accounts on their behalf.
And as I understand they employ proffesional staff and dont use this system of having IDC students escorting diving customers, maybe you could confirm that situation?

 

[donalbain]

adventure divers seems to have two instructors (the owner and another) and one dive guide (a proficient thai rescue diver). they also have the boat captain, 2 deck hands and a cook.

They often do 2 coral dives and 1 wreck but sometimes do 2 corals and 2 wrecks if requested. I've seen seafari use their boat as well as every time there was a russian company mainly with discover scuba customers.

I've never seen any DM or Instructor trainees in 5 times diving with them.

And for an extra 400 baht, you can do 3 dives - you're out there anyway; unless you want a lot of bottom time on the wrecks

 

[lord khram]

adventure divers seems to have two instructors (the owner and another) and one dive guide (a proficient thai rescue diver). they also have the boat captain, 2 deck hands and a cook.

They often do 2 coral dives and 1 wreck but sometimes do 2 corals and 2 wrecks if requested. I've seen seafari use their boat as well as every time there was a russian company mainly with discover scuba customers.

I've never seen any DM or Instructor trainees in 5 times diving with them.

And for an extra 400 baht, you can do 3 dives - you're out there anyway; unless you want a lot of bottom time on the wrecks

Thanks for that info.
That backs up what I have heard before, seems like a much better system than some of the bigger shops.
With regard to other shops on their boat, providing the boat is not overcrowded their activities should not have any bearing on Adventure divers own customers.